Commentary by Swami Mukundananda
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभि: सर्वमिदं जगत् |
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्य: परमव्ययम् || 13||
tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat
mohitaṁ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ param avyayam
BG 7.13: Deluded by the three modes of Maya, people in this world are unable to know Me, the imperishable and eternal.
The omniscience Lord Krishna was aware that the following question will come to Arjun’s mind, “If such are your Vibhutis (opulence), then why most humans forget that you are the Supreme creator and controller of this entire creation?”
Shree Krishna says that humans are deluded by the three modes of Maya (His material energy) that are ignorance, passion and goodness. These veil the human consciousness and cause fascination with the bodily pleasures which are short-lived. The word “Maya” is made from mā (not) and yā (what is). Thus, Maya means “that which is not what it appears to be.”
Maya, being one of God’s energy, is engaged in the service of hiding His true nature from the souls who are not yet eligible or God-realized. It lures and confuses the souls who are already vimukh (having their backs turned) from God. It also troubles them with problems and difficulties aided by the three-fold material miseries. By this, Maya makes the souls realize that they can never be happy unless they are sanmukh (their face turned) toward God.
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभि: सर्वमिदं जगत् |
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्य: परमव्ययम् || 13||
Deluded by the three modes of Maya, people in this world are unable to know Me, the imperishable and eternal.
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